Gary burst out laughing, shaking his head mockingly. "Attorneys? You're a drenched vagrant eating scraps in a diner! Who do you think you're calling—"
BAM.
The heavy roar of synchronized V8 engines vibrated the diner's concrete foundation.
Blinding LED headlights pierced through the streaming rain outside. Three massive black armored Cadillac Escalades swerved into the front parking bays in tight formation, their high-beams flooding the entire diner through the glass doors.
Gary froze mid-sentence. The smug grin vanished from his face as the diner's double doors swung wide open.
Marching through the entryway in crisp, tailored charcoal suits were four senior corporate partners from the city's top litigation firm, accompanied by the Chief Executive Officer of the Grandview Hospitality Network.
The CEO sprinted down the aisle, completely ignoring Gary, and dropped to one knee beside the booth, bowing his head in total, breathless reverence.
"Chairman Walter Vance!" the CEO gasped, his voice trembling with panic. "Sir! We received your emergency satellite coordinates! Are you unharmed?"
Chapter V: The True Founder
Gary’s knees buckled. The color drained completely from his face until he was pale as paper, his mouth hanging open in sheer, suffocating terror.